39.
Someone pointed it out. Harriet had arrived at exactly 11 o’clock, as stated on the invitation, but it seemed the others had expected her to be so overwhelmed by the gesture—given she hadn’t been invited to such places before—that she would arrive early.
Harriet cast a suspicious look toward the young lady, though her gaze flickered toward Annabelle.
“I was under the impression the arrival time was 11 o’clock. Did you, by any chance, send out different invitations to the others?”
Her tone carried the weight of an accusation, as if she were being singled out for public ridicule.
Not only Annabelle, but the young lady who had spoken up was visibly taken aback.
“Oh, no, that’s not what I meant! Coming by 11 o’clock is perfectly correct.”
“Then why imply that I was late…?”
“It just meant I wanted to see you that much! Truly!”
Realizing she had nearly caused a rift in Annabelle’s social circle while trying to stir up a power struggle, she glanced around nervously and let out an awkward laugh.
Harriet hadn’t come to fight, so she offered a bright, placating smile.
“Oh my! I’ve never received such a welcome, so I misunderstood. I apologize. May I ask your name…?”
“I—I am Grace Dalton. Please, call me Grace.”
“Thank you, Miss Grace. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
With the tension diffused so quickly, the tea party resumed its smooth flow.
“The Vanderbilt estate was the first party you attended after returning to Genoa, wasn’t it, Miss Harriet? I haven’t heard much since then….”
“And this, the House of Leighton, is the very next.”
“Oh! I’ve heard many people saying they were eager to invite you, Miss Harriet.”
Annabelle’s motive for asking—despite knowing full well that this was Harriet’s first outing since the Vanderbilts—was transparent. She wanted to emphasize that she had been the first to invite the socialite currently making waves, thereby showcasing her own influence.
Had Harriet been naive, she might have felt offended by the manipulation, but since they were a pair who could use one another, she was more than willing to offer a few hollow compliments.
“I have indeed received quite a few invitations. Among them, Miss Leighton’s was the most polite and kind. As you know, I am still cautious about attending such events, but I caught a glimpse of Miss Leighton’s warm heart and found the courage.”
Annabelle seemed immensely satisfied with the response. She took even greater care to ensure Harriet remained the center of the conversation.
Harriet had rarely attended such social events, not just during her year at the convent, but even before that. Because of this, she struggled with some of the finer nuances, but Annabelle would kindly bridge the gaps or steer the topic when necessary.
Of course, such favor came with an unspoken expectation: Harriet was now required to provide the day’s entertainment.
“However… I’m worried this might be a rather rude question, but….”
Someone, watching the room intently, spoke up with a forced hesitation.
“Did you return to Genoa specifically for Bella’s engagement ceremony?”
“Pfft!”
Taken completely off guard, Harriet spat out the tea she had been sipping.
It was fortunate that Annabelle had handed her a handkerchief just in time, or her makeup would have been ruined.
“Are you alright?”
“I—I apologize. It was such an unexpected question….”
Harriet wiped her mouth and offered an embarrassed smile toward the young lady who had asked.
“I know absolutely nothing about Bella’s engagement. My uncle and Bella probably didn’t even know I was returning to Genoa.”
“Then does that mean… your uncle truly intended for you to become a nun?”
“I was staying at the convent without a single coin of my inheritance, and then my sponsorship was cut off. I believe that can only mean one thing…. Well, who knows. Perhaps my uncle had some profound intention behind it.”
There was no trace of anger or resentment on Harriet’s face as she smiled; it was merely a relaxed expression that suggested a mild, pitying disappointment.
The fact that Harriet had nearly been forced into the cloth against her will was enough to draw genuine sympathy from the other young ladies. Unless one were truly devout, for a noblewoman, the convent was often little more than a final resting place for her agency.
Moreover, even decades ago, forcing unmarried or rebellious daughters into the convent was considered a cruel form of oppression. The implication hit home.
“Viscount Listerwell, he didn’t look the type….”
“Indeed. Miss Harriet and Miss Bella are the same age, aren’t they? To send his own daughter to a brilliant marriage while sending his niece to a convent….”
In truth, Harriet had a mountain of vitriol she wanted to unleash regarding John and Bella, but she held her tongue.
*For now, I must be satisfied with planting seeds of doubt about my uncle and Bella.*
If she rushed, she risked a backlash. She had to approach this as someone holding no ill will, merely a sense of slight, lingering sadness.
While Harriet maintained her caution, another young lady, who had been struggling to find her voice, finally let her curiosity win.
“Um, what exactly happened at the victory banquet last year? That incident is the reason you ended up at the convent, isn’t it?”
It was an aggressive probe. Annabelle moved to intercept, mindful of her promise to keep the afternoon pleasant, but Harriet stepped in first. This was exactly what she had been waiting for.
“Taking this opportunity, I will say it clearly: I did not steal or find that brooch. After the lights went out and came back on, it was simply pinned to my dress. Bella and her friends were all there to see it.”
“Really?”
“Why would I be insane enough to steal something belonging to Duke Kaylas? Besides, the distance between us was significant. Even if he had dropped it, I wouldn’t have been in a position to retrieve it.”
At those words, the table leaned in, hushed whispers of “Oh my, oh my!” rippling through the group.
“Honestly, I thought someone had mistaken me for another and pinned it to my dress as a jest. I wore it pinned to my chest only because Bella encouraged me to, saying that if it were a mistake, the owner should have a way to verify it.”
“Miss Bella did?”
“Yes. Beside us, Miss Caroline even sneered, saying, ‘Perhaps there is someone expecting it, and we are just being oblivious.’”
“If that’s really the case, then why did Miss Bella say such things to Duke Kaylas…?”
The guests began to recall the scene. When Cedric had removed his late father’s brooch from Harriet’s chest and demanded to know who would take responsibility for the insult, what had Bella said? She had acted as if she were shielding Harriet.
*“Your Grace. Can you not have pity on Harriet? It must be a brooch she found by accident; she likely wore it because she wanted a little attention. She has never received anything like that before….”*
Though none could quote her verbatim, they remembered the nuance. She had framed it as if Harriet were a desperate, attention-seeking girl.
The young ladies exchanged horrified glances. Was it true? They had heard rumors of Harriet’s jealousy, so perhaps they had been manipulated? The details were far too specific to be a mere fabrication.
Harriet, observing their shifting perceptions, offered a weary smile.
“I know you won’t believe me. It was hard for me to believe, too. Perhaps that day was just a series of terribly unlucky accidents.”
In truth, Harriet didn’t know the full reality of that day either; she only had her suspicions.
“It seems someone who found a valuable-looking brooch by accident pinned it to my skirt as a prank. And it just happened to be the late Duke Kaylas’s memento. Perhaps Bella said those things to save me in her own way. Perhaps she even misunderstood.”
Everyone looked at her with newfound pity.
“Because there were already bad rumors about my conduct, it appeared that day that I had committed another foolish act. But I can swear before Yawar that it was not my doing.”
In the past, even if Harriet had sworn by the gods, no one would have listened. But hearing it from a woman who had just returned from a year in a convent changed everything.
One by one, they began to murmur their agreement.
“I—I also thought something was strange back then. The pieces didn’t quite fit together.”
“That’s right! It felt like people were just unnecessarily cornering you.”
“To say Miss Harriet stole Duke Kaylas’s brooch—that’s nonsense. How could anyone steal from a war hero who can take on a hundred men?”
At that final remark, Harriet felt a crushing weight lift from her chest. That was the logical conclusion, wasn’t it? Even if she were truly the man-crazy girl they claimed, the theft itself was physically impossible.
And had there really been no one there that day who thought the same?
*There must have been. They just kept their mouths shut.*
Because of their silence, she had been discarded.
While the turn of events had eventually become a blessing in disguise, it did not excuse their cowardice. As the atmosphere threatened to turn heavy, Annabelle quickly intervened.
“I, too, have something I’m truly curious about, Miss Harriet.”